A few years ago we had just purchased our Museum Passes for Paris and were walking out of the store when a young employee called out, "Monsieur, are you infirm?" Well, my husband is a polio survivor and had started walking with a cane that week. And he's a bit hard of hearing so he continued on his way, I turned back and said, "oui, my husband is infirm, poliomyelitis." It turned out he was FREE to state museums in Paris and I was too as his companion! We had paid with a credit card and in a few minutes walked out with a cash refund after returning our tickets.
We have returned two more trips, now with a wheelchair and no longer ask, we just look for the handicap signs at the entrances. The Louvre is full of lifts, even for a a couple of stairs so the entire place seems accessible. D'Orsay entrance is on the opposite side from the river and is marked for members/docents/handicap.
We can no longer take the Metro, there are a few entrances with lifts but then inside there are stairs. It's going to take a decade or more to make it accessible. We budget for taxis and go everywhere! You may have seen us on Montmartre last fall or in a few weeks at lunch in the Latin Quarter. We are planning a dinner river cruise this year!
The 100+euros for the Museum Passes we can spend on taxis and still save!
Posted by
New Zealand
51 posts
Thanks for the information (from a fellow "polio")
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Mr. Wonderful has no quads in his right leg and at 68 finally used a cane on cobblestones! When he broke the femur in that leg the surgeons in Italy thought he didn't walk. I don't know if they would have tried to put it back together different if they knew. He has been actually walking some distances in the last year, just a few meters. Enough to navigate a hotel room!
Enjoy the journey.